Yielding support for loom bobbins



Aug. 13, 1929.

A. J. CHEVRETTE ET AL YIELDING SUPPORT FOR LOOM BOBBINS Filed Feb. 4, 1928 5 fwqwjj w arm s patented ding. l3,

UNITED STATES AUGUSTIN J'QOIIEVRETTE AND KENNETH J. UNWIII, OF WORCESTER, MASSAOI'IU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS 'IO CROMPTON 8a; KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, MAS- SACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

YIELDING SUPPORT FOR LOOM ROBBINS.

Application filerl February 4, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements in bobbin supports for weft replenishing looms and it is the principal object of the invention to provide a substantially tubular sup port which may be flexed in any direction oblique to the axis thereof, together with means for varying the length of the support which may be flexed.

In co-pending application Ser. No. 251,992 filed by King there is shown a bobbin support formed of a coiled spring having the convolutions thereof in close contact with each other to prevent the thread frombecoming entangled therein. The spring supports are mounted on holders and are can pable of angular movement in the holders and also movement toward and from a bobbin in transfer position, the support normaliy being perpendicular to the axis of the bobbin awaiting transfer.

Bobbin supports of the kind set forth in the aforesaid application have operated satisfactorily but in certain cases it is found desirable to be able to vary the amount of w the coiled spring which is capable of yield ing and itis accordingly an important ob ject of our present invention to provide a rigid core for the spring, the core being adjustable longitudinally within the spring so as to render flexible more or less of the portion of the spring adjacent the bobbin.

It is a more particular object of our present invention to provide a core having threads thereon whichare of substantially the same lead as the successive coils of the spring.

In the patent to Chevrette lilo. 1,566,736 the rear tip support for the bobbin is located to be in engagement with the cylindrical part of the yarn wound on the bobbin so as not to interfere with the thread which extends from the conical part of the yarn toward the thread holder. The front support is ordinarily in Contact with the wooden tip of the bobbin so that said supports engage portions of the bobbin of differing circumferences. This means that for any given motion on the part of the bobbin to ward the shuttle to be replenished the support in contact with the tip of the bobbin will be in engagement with the latter a shorter time than will be the case with the rear support which is in contact with the yarn of larger circumference. As a result,

Serial No. 251,986.

it sometimes occurs that a bobbin is acted upon by a force tending to move it out of its normal path toward the exhausted shuttledue to the fact that one support remains in engagement with the bobbin after the latter has left the other support. It is an important object of our present invent on to provide means whereby the length of time during which the bobbin supports are 111 contact with the bobbin may be varied so that the bobbin may leave both supports at substantially the same time so that no force will act on the bobbin causing the same to be deflected from its proper path.

When a bobbin support is made of a coil. spring it is desirable to have the end which supports the bobbin free from burrs or cutting edges which will abrade the yarn and it is a more particular object of our invention to form the bobbin engaging end of the support with a rounded wire which presents a smooth surface to the yarn and wood of the bobbin to minimize wear.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, our invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein we have shown a convenient en'ibodiment of our invention,

Fig. l is a vertical section through the lower portion of a multicolor magazine having our invention applied thereto and showing a bobbin in transfer position,

' Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the bobbin moving through the supports,

Fig. 3 is a detail top plan view taken in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1,

Fig. 4; is an enlarged side elevation of one end of one of the bobbin supports,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the accompanying drawings the loom frame 10 supports the magazine 11 from which project a series of webs 12 defining vertical bobbin compartments 13. The butts of the bobbins as they move toward transfer position are supported by a relatively .iixedforward support 14 and a movable arm 15 which is pivoted as at 16 to a depending link 17 supported by the rear lower tie rod 18. The rear end of the arm is extended upwardly as at 19 to have contact by means of a stud 20 with a link 21 which moves angularly about a fixed pivot 22 supported by the frame 11. The magazine may have central and forward tie rods 23 and 24 and may be provided with a. transferrer arm 25 movable about a fixed stud 26.

The matter thus far described may be substantially the same as shown in prior patents to Ryon No. 1,030,748 and 1,366,950.

The tip ends of the bobbins are held by two supports or giveways each of which is held in position by a holder 27 adjusted angularly with respect to the corresponding tie rod and held in such position by a screw 28. The lower end of each holder may be split as at 29 and a clamping bolt 30 may extend through the split parts of each holder to draw said parts together. Each support includes a coil spring 31 the convolutions of which lie in close contact with each other and a portion of each spring passes through the corresponding holder and is held in position by the clamping bolt 30 The matter thus far described in connection with the holders 27 are substantially the same as shown in Patent No. 1,608,647 to Chevrette and the aforesaid King application.

In carrying our improvements into effect we provide each of the coil springs 31 with acore which as shown in Fig. '6 may be provided with screw threads 41 preferably of a pitch either equal to or slightly greater than that of the coils of spring 31. The outer end of each core 40 may be provided with a screw driver slot 42 by means of which the same may be rotated in the spring. The holders 27 cooperate with the springs to hold the core in any adjusted position. In the formation of each spring 31 one half of one end coil thereof is bent at right angles to the coils as at 43 to present a rounded portion 44 having a smooth surface to engage the yarn and wooden por tions of the bobbin B as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

At the time of transfer the bobbin will move to the posit-ion indicated at B in Fig.

' 1, the butt thereof being supported by the members 14 and15 and the tip thereof being supported by the rounded portions 44 of the springs 31. As shown in Fig. 3 the rear support will be in engagement with the cylindrical portion C of the yarn while the forward support-will be in contact with the wooden tip WV. As the transferrer arm descends it will engage the bobbin and move the same downwardly between the bobbin supports, causing a bending of the supports 31 as indicated in Fig. 2.

By reason of the cores 40 it is possible I to vary the length of that part of the springs 31 which yield at the time of transfer and as suggested in Fig. 2 it may be desirable to have unequal portions of the springs 31 capable of yielding. As indicated in Fig. 2 the forward core does not project into its corresponding spring so far as is the case with the rear core and as a result the tip supporting end of the forward spring moves around a larger radius and will therefore remain in contact with the relatively small wooden tip of the bobbin for a length of time approximately equal to that during which the cylindrical portion of the yarn remains in contact with the rear support when the latter moves around a shorter radius. The radius of movement of the tips 44 of the springs 31 may be adjusted according to the differing diameters of the wooden tips of the bobbins and the cylindrical portion of the yarn.

WVhile we have shown the rear support as being in contact with the cylindrical part of the yarn on the bobbin yet for certain features of our invention it will be possible to have the rear support as well as the forward support in contact with the wooden tip.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided coil spring bobbin supports with devices which render it possible to vary the resistance to yielding offered by different portions of said supports. It will furthermore be seen that by means of the cores it is possible to vary the relative resistance offered by the front and back supports. Also, the cores are inside the springs where they cannot contact with the yarn or in any way interfere with the movement of the bobbins along said supports as the bobbins roll toward transfer position. It will further be seen that the rounded end 44- of each spring provides a smooth sliding surface along which the bobbin may move without danger of abrading the yarn or wooden part of the bobbin. With soft yarn the tip 44 may enter between adjacent coils of yarn and prevent end motion of the bobbin.

Having thus described our invention it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what we claim is:

1. In a weft replenishing mechanism operating with bobbins, a holding member, :1 bobbin supporting element comprising a coiled spring held to the member and having the axis thereof disposed substantially at right angles to the axis of a bobbin supported thereby, and a solid core device extending into the coiled spring, said core device being movable to render more or less of the bobbin supporting end of the spring flexible.

2. In a weft replenishing mechanism operating with bobbins, a holding member, a bobbin supporting element normally capable of flexing in all angular directions with respect to the axis thereof having direct holding engagement with the member, the normal axis being transverse of the length of a bobbin in transfer position, and means in contact with the bobbin support and extending substantially parallel thereto and movable relatively thereto along the axis thereof to engage said support to prevent flexing of a portion thereof.

3. In weft replenishing mechanism operating with bobbins, a holding member, a bobbin support mounted in the holder and extending toward the bobbin in transferring position and having direct holding engagement with the member, and a device located within the support and movable along the axis thereof to render certain portions of the support non-flexible, other portions of the support being capable of flexure in all directions oblique to the axis thereof.

4. In a weft replenishing mechanism operating with bobbins, a holder, a bobbin supporting coiled spring the convolutions of which lie in close contact with each other supported by the holder and extending toward a bobbin in transfer position, and a core located within the spring member and held in position by the resilience of the coils of said spring, said core rendering the portion of the length of the spring non-flexible.

5. In a weft replenishing mechanism operating with bobbins, a holder, a bobbin sup porting coiled spring the convolutions of which lie in close contact with each other supported by the holder and extending toward a bobbin in transfer position, and a core located Within the spring member and held in position by the resilience of the coils of said spring, said core rendering a portion of the length of the spring non-flexible, said core being provided with screw threads which receive the coils of the spring.

6. A bobbin supporting element consist ing of a spring, the successive convolutions of which are in close contact with each other, said spring having a bobbin supporting end and having a core extending within the spring adjacent the other end to render a portion of the coil of the spring non yieldable.

7. In a weft replenishing mechanism operating with bobbins, a holder, a bobbin supporting coiled spring the convolutions of which lie is close contact with each other sup ported by the holder and extending toward a bobbin in transfer position, and a core located within the spring member and held in position by the resilience of the coils of said spring, said core rendering a. portion of the length of the spring non-flexible, said core being provided with screw threads which receive the coils of the spring.

8. A bobbin supporting member for a weft replenishing loom including a coiled spring the successive convolutions of which are in close contact with each other, said support including a second member, the axis of which is substantially coincident with the axis of the spring, said member engaging the spring throughout a portion of the length thereof to render said portion nonflexible.

9. A bobbin support comprising two elongated members one of which is flexible throughout its length and normally capable of yielding in all directions oblique to the axis thereof and the other member being of uniform diameter throughout its length which is different from the diameter of the flexible member to have engagement with the first member for a portion of the length of the latter to render said portion nonyieldable.

10. A bobbin support formed with a coiled spring the successive convolutions of which are in close contact with each other, the Wire at one end thereof being bent in the form of an arc the plane of which is substantially perpendicular to the coils, said arcuate end to present a smooth surface to a bobbin supported thereby.

11. A bobbin support formed throughout its length of a coiled spring the successive convolutions of which are in close contact with each other, the wire of which the spring is formed being bent to lie on an are which lies out of a plane parallel to the planes of the coils to present a smooth surface to a bobbin supported thereby.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto affixed our signatures.

AUGUSTIN J. GHEVRETTE. KENNETH J. UNWIN. 

